Everyone here understands the British phoned it in in the Pacific. Not that your undersized carriers would have been that useful anyway. Too small of air wings for strike operations, and insufficient fuel capacity for the wide open spaces of the Pacific.

I thought that was what I was doing. The PTO was a virtually American show, primarily Navy and Marine Corps. And we, specifically the US Army Air Forces' daylight raids, were also the key factor in victory over the Reich. Unless people think Germany's heavy industry waa going to demolish itself

So who did most to defeat the Axis? Personally I pick the British Empire (I know what you're thinking, 'big surprise Johnny Jingo'').

Why? Britain fights from the beginning to the end, both the US and USSR only come in a third of the way through. Britain props up the USSR materially and at the start the US in tactical and technological terms. The Royal Navy was the largest in the world and Britain geographically provides a base for liberating Europe, the tide already turning before others got involved.

The RN wasn't the largest in the world though. Washington Naval Treaty established capital ship fleet parity between the two specifically so the US didn't build a huge advantage otherwise US would have been largest in the 1920s. US stopped listening to said treaty(s) once it was clear Japan wasn't going to and at this point had the world's largest navy.

The UK providing a base for liberating Europe is the UK's only inherently necessary contribution. The rest is just stuff you are attributing to the UK. The tide was not turning when others got involved, please do tell what happens if Hitler decides for some reason to never attack the USSR nor declare war on the USA after Pearl Harbor? What's the UK's path to victory besides preventing invasion of their own country?

There are so many threads like this in the net. Paul Manning in his 'Martin Bormann: Nazi in Exile' claims that Stalin said during Tehran Conference 'This war is being fought with British brains, American brawn and Russian blood'. There are other sayings like 'WWII was won by British Intelligence, American steel and Russian blood'

Perhaps it's already been said, but Britain did have significant non combat contributions, namely Turings' code breaking and the development of a functional radar system. These may not have "Defeated the Axis" on their own; however, it's difficult to imagine their defeat without them.

There are so many threads like this in the net. Paul Manning in his 'Martin Bormann: Nazi in Exile' claims that Stalin said during Tehran Conference 'This war is being fought with British brains, American brawn and Russian blood'. There are other sayings like 'WWII was won by British Intelligence, American steel and Russian blood'

What was said doesn't matter - it was a sweet talk anyway just like on every conference where it is akin patting each other backs.

But in the end in hundred or more years in the future we will be able to objectively talk about that without patriotism of each side. Just like now we can discuss assyrian, roman wars without personal or political involvement.

Perhaps it's already been said, but Britain did have significant non combat contributions, namely Turings' code breaking and the development of a functional radar system. These may not have "Defeated the Axis" on their own; however, it's difficult to imagine their defeat without them.

Not really. Read upthread. In the Summer of 1941, the US was clearly planning to fight Hitler from the US and Canada. The B-36 Peacemaker was a response to the RFP for a super-heavy bomber capable of striking targets in Continental Europe from bases in the US and Canada. Thinking out loud, but Greenland makes sense as an emergency divert field for B36 strikes on Europe.

The Pacific theater of operations was a 70%+ American show at any rate. While not every sub captain was Eugene Fluckey, Dick O'Kane, or Mush Morton and not every boat was a TANG, BARB, or WAHOO, Admiral Lockwood's silent warriors made the demise of the Japanese Empire as sure as sunrise or gravity.

And the Bomb made Japanese unconditional surrender a foregone conclusion. Harry Truman was a battery commander in the Argonne, and Olympic and Coronet would have borne great resemblance to that fight. Material existed to immediately build 5-6 more atomic bombs in August 1945, and the K25 and Y12 enrichment facilities in Oak Ridge had only reached full capacity in the Summer of 1945. The record is clear Truman did not hesitate in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki decisions, and it seems reasonable to conclude he would have continued incinerating Japanese cities until the Japanese government surrendered.

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